Our mission is to be a resource for Speech Language Pathologists out on the front lines doing treatments with patients. One situation we've heard about and encountered ourselves is that sometimes other languages are the primary language of our patients, therefore English activities may be inappropriate. We recently collaborated with fellow SLP Amanda Blackwell to translate our activities into Spanish, increasing accessibility for Spanish-speaking therapists, caregivers and patients. Amanda is quite accomplished in her own right. Here's a little bit about her:

Amanda Blackwell, M.A. CCC-SLP

Amanda’s heart was primed for service while attending Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN. After earning a master's degree and licensure as a speech-language pathologist at the University of Texas at Dallas, she traveled to serve in Guatemala as an SLP at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos for one year. Concerned by the lack of services and professionals prepared to work with persons with disabilities in the country, and feeling that she had a purpose in this arena, she chose to stay...five years later she is still living in the country. In 2017 she embarked on an adventure and walked 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago, a journey that took her across Spain, which gave her time to reflect about her next steps in life. It was there where the idea for DIGNA International was born. To learn more about her organization, click here: www.dignaguate.org. Amanda now pursues her clinical doctorate in SLP at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, has her private practice and volunteers her services wherever she feels called to do so. Although she misses her family stateside, her motivation to help others and knowing the impact that DIGNA can have on the lives of many deserving adults with disabilities inspires her to continue her work in Guatemala.

Amanda has helped us make the Dysphagia Inservice bundle into our first Spanish offering. Click here to view: SPANISH DYSPHAGIA INSERVICE BUNDLE. We are grateful for Amanda's partnership and hope to bring you more Spanish-based activities. Contact us at calmslp@gmail.com if there are activities on our site you would like to see offered in Spanish.

Hands in the air if you like hearing how other SLPs stay on top of their game from day-to-day? I do! Sadly I don't get to do this enough. Like many of the rest of you, I'm often a lone ranger SLP but I love it when we get a chance to work together (or [...]

From time to time, an In-service at your facility is needed. Education is a vital part of our roles as SLPs. We have a lot of knowledge to share with our allies and team members in the medical facilities where we work. In my experience, by completing dysphagia education, you create an environment of mutual [...]

This is the time of year when I start thinking about CEUs, how many I have so far for the year and how many I’ve got left to acquire (and which topics I want to focus on). There are so many courses still on my wishlist. The more I browse topics and providers, the more [...]

Last year I had the honor of developing and presenting an on-line course with my colleagues from Calm, LLC to educate clinicians about the use of adaptive equipment (AE) in skilled-nursing facilities (SNF) targeting dysphagia management. Admittedly speaking into a green light on my computer took some getting used to in addition to navigating on-line [...]

My Preparation I recall when interviewing for home health positions that several of my friends and family often said, “Are you sure?” To them the thought of going into someone’s home was, well, frightening. To me it was the ultimate setting for truly functional therapy. I liked the thought of traveling, to have my [...]

The holidays are upon upon us! We've compiled a list of gift ideas for SLPs that are sure to please. Click on the picture to be directed to our product pick. Our seasonal give-away will be December 16th. 9 winners will be selected to receive an item generously donated by one of the companies mentioned below. [...]

While working in my LTACH in Miami Florida and my two ENT offices in Florida, I started to notice a clinical trend. My FEES referrals were beginning to show increased an increased frequency of LPRD correlating with COPD. Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease (LPRD) is something that I have personally. In my [...]

Vince Lombardi once said, “Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work”. In our interdisciplinary blog series we explore perspectives from a variety of disciplines with whom we often interact to see how we as SLPs can improve our communication [...]